Systems and methods for advertising on virtual keyboards

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for interacting with advertisements on a virtual keyboard. An advertisement appears in a position that is proximate to a virtual key of the virtual keyboard. A user can manipulate the advertisement based on performing one or more types of gestures or key presses on or near the virtual keys. One type of gesture triggers an interaction with the advertisement and another type of gesture or key press performs a standard keyboard function.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/842,617,filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING ONVIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/748,718, filed on Jan. 3, 2013, entitled, “SYSTEMSAND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING ON VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS.” This application isalso a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/758,786,filed on Jun. 30, 2015, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,”which is a 371 of PCT/US2014/010252, filed on Jan. 3, 2014, entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,” which claims benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/748,721, filed on Jan. 3, 2013,entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,” and is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/316,095, filed onDec. 2, 2016, entitled “SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR USINGVIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” which is a 371 of PCT/US2015/034300, filed on Jun.4, 2015, entitled “SYSTEMS, APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR USING VIRTUALKEYBOARDS,” which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/007,890, filed on Jun. 4, 2014, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS OFUSING VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” the contents of which are incorporated byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Online advertising generates a large amount of online traffic andrevenue. Online advertisements are a nearly ubiquitous feature of ouronline experience because online advertisers typically advertise goodsand services on or with websites, mobile apps, video games, set-topboxes, streaming media, and so on. In many cases, advertisements may betargeted to users based on, for example, demographic information, onlineactivities, search activities (e.g., search queries), online shoppingactivities, and so on. Online advertisements may take the form of one ormore pop-up advertisements, pop-under advertisements, banneradvertisements, audio advertisements, video advertisements, animatedgifs, and so on. Desktop computers, which typically include computermonitors, can offer relatively vast amounts of space for displaying orpresenting advertisements. Handheld devices, however, typically providea limited amount of visual display space or real estate for users toview or interact with, necessarily making online advertisements eitherannoyingly large, or small and difficult to interact with. When thevisual space available for online advertisements is limited, onlineadvertisements may interfere with a user's online experience. Forexample, a pop-up advertisement may be displayed in such a way that itcompletely takes over the viewable area of the user's device. As anotherexample, the user may accidentally click on or select the advertisementif the advertisement is displayed over or near a feature of a webpage orapplication with which the user interacts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment in which thedisclosed techniques may operate.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing some of the components incorporated inassociated computing systems.

FIG. 3 is a display page representing two screenshots of a virtualkeyboard.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the processing of a displayvirtual keyboard ad component.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the processing of a userinteraction component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods for providing non-obtrusive techniques forpresenting advertisements (e.g., an advertisement impression) to usersof mobile devices, such as mobile telephones, tablets, smart phones,laptops, TVs, and other devices with limited display space. In someembodiments, the disclosed techniques display advertisements as part ofor otherwise associated with a virtual keyboard displayed on the device.For example, a visual advertisement may be displayed as part of aspacebar or other key or keys of a virtual keyboard. In other words, thegraphical representation of the spacebar (or another key or keys) mayfor example, be replaced by, blended (e.g., alpha compositingtechniques) or otherwise modified with a graphical advertisement, suchas a banner ad. Although the graphical representation of the visualspacebar is modified, the functionality of the spacebar may remain thesame. For example, a user can continue to use the virtual keyboard andits associated keys to interact with the mobile device, (e.g., to type amessage across the Internet, interact with an application (App), etc.)while the advertisement is display. In this manner, advertisements arepresented in a less-intrusive or non-intrusive manner. Furthermore, userinteractions with advertisements can be tracked across multiple websitesor web access points, across multiple mobile device functions (e.g.,mobile applications, email, text messaging, iMessaging, posts, searches,social network interactions), and across multiple devices.

In some embodiments, the disclosed techniques may allow a user tointeract with a displayed advertisement using various gestures. Forexample, a user may be able to activate an advertisement displayed inplace of or in addition to one or more keys of a virtual keyboard byperforming a swipe gesture in a variety of directions, such as up, down,left or right. A swipe gesture, for example, can reduce the numberunintentional “clicks” on or near the advertisement, thereby increasingthe likelihood that activations of advertisements are intentional. Byactivating the advertisement, in some embodiments, a user is directed toone or more websites, applications, and/or files (e.g., media files,video files, or audio files) for or associated with, for example, theadvertiser. Furthermore, the user may be able to perform other actionsbased on one or more swipe gestures in various directions, such as downor to the left. For example, in some embodiments, one or more swipes tothe virtual keyboard can forward the advertisement to another user; savethe advertisement; follow the associated advertiser on a social networksite (e.g., TWITTER®); share the advertisement or associated advertiser(e.g., company) on a social networking site (e.g., FACEBOOK®,PINTEREST®, etc.); “like” (e.g., performing a binary-like approval ordisapproval) the advertisement; and or rate the advertisement. Theinventors have found that rating an advertisement has several advantagesover “liking” the advertisement. For example, “likes” can be arbitrary.You may “like” something because: a friend requested you to do so, youactually do like it, or for any number of reasons. Ratings offer a muchmore accurate picture of what a brand, product, or company means to aperson. For example, ranking an advertisement, in some embodiments,allows the advertisement to be marked as irrelevant, offensive, and orremoved from future advertisements from a particular company or aparticular type of advertisement.

In some embodiments, the disclosed techniques display advertisements ata mobile user device based on identifying one or more actions toassociate with virtual key(s) proximate to the advertisement. Thedisclosed technique can detect and react to a selection of virtualkey(s) based on one or more selection types. For example, a firstselection type (e.g., a user gesture, eye movement, etc.) initiates(i.e., triggers) a first action for interacting with advertisement(s)(e.g., scroll through advertisements, open an advertisement in a newwindow, open a website, buy a good/service, etc.) and a second action(e.g., a non-gesture-based action, such as pressing a virtual ‘A’ key)initiates display of a representation of a symbol, character, oralphanumeric value associated with the selected virtual key (e.g., an‘%,’ ‘A, ‘5’, etc.), for example. In some embodiments, a first gesture(e.g., a swipe) and a second, different gesture (e.g., an ‘L’-shapedgesture) performed proximate to the same advertisement initiatedifferent actions. For example, a swipe across an advertisement maycause a display of more information regarding about that advertisementand a ‘L’-shaped gesture performed proximate to that same advertisementmay minimize the advertisement to a portion of a display, save theadvertisement for later, or send the advertisement to a friend, etc.

In some embodiments, the virtual keyboard is projected from a laser,LED, infrared component, or other transfer medium to form a 2D or pseudo3D image of the virtual keyboard. For example, the disclosed techniquescan cause a mobile device to focus light in the shape of a keyboard ontoa surface, such as a table, All or some of techniques mentioned aboveand further discussed below (e.g., user based gestures to interact withadvertisements) equally apply to projected virtual keyboards.

In some embodiments, the virtual keyboard provides feedback, such as asound, light, one or more signals to an external device, or hapticfeedback. For example, a virtual key (e.g., a space bar) of the virtualkeyboard may display a picture of a Chevy Camaro. When the advertisementis touched, haptic feedback (e.g. a force, motion, and or vibration) mayprovide, via one or more of the virtual keys, the feeling that theCamaro's engine is revving, for example. Feedback, in some embodiments,is incorporated in situations where two or more users are in the samelocation experiencing advertisements related to a television program or“app” that they were participating in. For example, feedback canindicate that time is running out to input of an answer via the virtualkeyboard.

In some embodiments, the described techniques aggregate information fromdifferent sources (e.g., remote networks, websites, advertisementservices, a user profile, user history, cached data) to increase theaccuracy and efficiency in targeting advertisements to a user. Forexample, when the virtual keyboard is used to fill-in a textbox on awebsite, navigate an online/local website, make a phone call, compose amessage, etc., data from one or more of those sources can be used torefine and tailor a new add to target the user. The inventors havecontemplated other techniques to refine and target advertisement, suchas receiving an indication that an advertisement was selected via aseparate virtual keyboard operated by the same or a different user;refining the information based on target data from an advertiser; and orrefining the information based on one or more user preferences, userhistory, or tracking data.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing environment 100 inwhich the disclosed techniques may operate in some embodiments. In thisexample, computing environment 100 includes one or more computingdevice(s) 110, advertisers 120, advertising network 130, and network140. User computing environment 110 includes, in some embodiments,display virtual keyboard ad component 111, user interaction component112, and advertisement store 113. Display virtual keyboard advertisementcomponent 111 can be invoked to display an advertisement on or as partof a virtual keyboard. User interaction component 112 is invoked toprocess user interactions with an advertisement displayed on or as partof a virtual keyboard. Advertisement store 113 stores advertisements andassociated information (e.g., number of times an ad is displayed, rateof display, time of day information for the advertisement, timeoutduration, expiration date/time) received from advertisers 120,advertising network 130, etc. Advertisers 120 can represent companies orother entities that generate advertisements. Advertising network 130 canbe a company or entity that targets and distributes advertisements tousers on behalf of advertisers based on, for example, geographic area(e.g., city location, country, etc.), time, user data, demographicinformation, user preferences, and so on. In other embodiments, theadvertising network 130 can be operated by a manufacture of the usercomputing device(s) 110 or a distributor of the user computing device110. Computing device(s) 110, advertisers 120, and advertising network130 are connected and may communicate via network 140.

The computing device(s) on which the disclosed techniques may beimplemented can include a screen (e.g., a touch screen), a centralprocessing unit, memory, input devices (e.g., keyboards, virtualkeyboards, touchscreens, and pointing devices), output devices (e.g.,display devices) 114, storage devices (e.g., disk drives), and variousother software and/or hardware components 115. The memory and storagedevices are computer-readable storage media that may be encoded withcomputer-executable instructions that implement the technology, whichmeans a computer-readable storage medium that stores the instructions.In addition, the instructions, data structures, and message structuresmay be transmitted via a computer-readable transmission medium, such asa signal on a communications link. Thus, “computer-readable media”includes both computer-readable storage media for storing informationand computer-readable transmission media for transmitting information.Additionally, data used by the disclosed techniques may be encrypted.Various communications links may be used, such as the Internet, a localarea network, a wide area network, a point-to-point dial-up connection,a cell phone network, wireless networks, and so on.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 showing some of the components 201-205incorporated in associated computing system(s) 210 (e.g. advertisementnetwork 130, advertisers 120, and or user computing device(s) 110, etc.)in some embodiment. Computer system 210 comprises one or more centralprocessing units (“CPUs”) 201 for executing computer programs; acomputer memory 202 for storing programs and data while they are beingused; a persistent storage device 203, such as a hard drive forpersistently storing programs and data; a computer-readable media drive204, such as a CD-ROM drive, for reading programs and data stored on acomputer-readable storage medium; and a network connection 205 forconnecting the computer system 210 to other computer systems, such asvia the Internet. While computer systems 210 configured as describedabove are suitable to support the operation of the disclosed technology,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the techniques may beimplemented using devices of various types and configurations. Moreover,communications to and from the CPU 201 and on data buses and lines canbe encrypted to protect against snooping of internal data.

The disclosed technology may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed byone or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may becombined or distributed as desired in various embodiments, includingcloud-based implementations.

Many embodiments of the technology described herein may take the form ofcomputer-executable instructions, including routines executed by aprogrammable computer. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciatethat aspects of the technology can be practiced on computer systemsother than those shown and described herein. Embodiments of thetechnology may be implemented in and used with various operatingenvironments that include personal computers, server computers, handheldor laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems,programmable consumer electronics, digital cameras, network PCs,minicomputers, mainframe computers, computing environments that includeany of the above systems or devices, and so on. Moreover, the technologycan be embodied in a special-purpose computer or data processor that isspecifically programmed, configured or constructed to perform one ormore of the computer-executable instructions described herein.Accordingly, the terms “computer” or “system” as generally used hereinrefer to any data processor and can include Internet appliances andhand-held devices (including palm-top computers, wearable computers,cellular or mobile phones, multi-processor systems, processor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, network computers, mini computers andthe like).

The technology can also be practiced in distributed environments, wheretasks or modules are performed by remote processing devices linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules or subroutines may be located in local andremote memory storage devices. Aspects of the technology describedherein may be stored or distributed on computer-readable media,including magnetic or optically readable or removable computer disks.Furthermore, aspects of the technology may be distributed electronicallyover networks. Data structures and transmissions of data particular toaspects of the technology are also encompassed within the scope of thetechnology.

FIG. 3 is a depiction 300 of two example screenshots 301 and 303 of avirtual keyboard 308 on display 114, for example. For example, each ofscreenshots 301 and 303 include a virtual keyboard including a virtualspacebar 302-304. In screenshot 301, virtual spacebar 302 is displayedwithout an advertisement 306. The virtual spacebar 302 is configured toprovide a relatively large area to display an advertisement 306. Inscreenshot 303, virtual spacebar 302 is displayed with an advertisement306 inviting the user to “Swipe Here for Savings!!!” Although theadvertisement 306 is displayed over virtual spacebar 302, a user maystill enter space characters by pressing on or clicking theadvertisement/spacebar. The user may interact with the advertisement by,for example, performing a swipe or other gesture at or near theadvertisement. Although in this example the advertisement 306 isdisplayed in the vicinity of the virtual spacebar 302, one or moreadvertisements 304 may be displayed at any location on the virtualkeyboard. For example, one advertisement (e.g., advertisement 304) mayspan the ‘W,’ ‘E,’ ‘R,’ ‘T,’ ‘S,’ ‘D,’ ‘F,’ ‘Z,’ ‘X,’ and ‘C,’ keyswhile another advertisement (not shown) spans the Y,’ ‘U,’ ‘I,’ ‘O,’‘H,’ ‘J,’ ‘K,’ ‘B,’ ‘N,’ and ‘M’ keys. In this manner, the disclosedtechniques can present advertisements to users without interfering withthe user's ability to interact with the virtual keyboard 308 andassociated computing device(s) 110. The virtual keyboards 308 can bepart of an operating system (e.g., iOS, Android® Operating System,Blackberry operating system, or Microsoft Windows® operating system). Inother embodiments, an application is installed to provide the virtualkeyboard 308. The advertising functionality can be part of the virtualkeyboard software or installed separately.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram 400 illustrating the processing of a displayvirtual keyboard advertisement component 111 in some embodiments. Inblock 410, the display virtual keyboard advertisement component 111(e.g. 308) displays a virtual keyboard 308. In block 420, the displayvirtual keyboard advertisement component 111 selects an advertisementfor display. Selection of the advertisement 308 may be based ondemographic information of one or more users, of the computingenvironment 100, recent activity of one or more users, user preferences,and so on. For example, if a user is watching a television program on asmartTV and an advertisement or “product placement” for a particularproduct was recently displayed, the display virtual keyboardadvertisement component 111 may select an advertisement 306 for the sameor a similar product for display on another user computing device 110,such as the user's mobile telephone. In some embodiments, the displayvirtual keyboard advertisement component 111 may request anadvertisement 306 from an advertising network 130 or advertiser 120. Inblock 430, the display virtual keyboard advertisement component 111selects one ore more virtual key(s) on the virtual keyboard 308 todisplay a selected ad. The display virtual keyboard advertisementcomponent 111 may select virtual key(s) on the virtual keyboard 308based on the shape of the advertisement, the virtual keyboard shape,virtual key layout, and availability of virtual keys that are currentlydisplayed, user preferences, and so on. For example, if the selectedadvertisement (e.g., advertisement 306) is in the shape of a verticallylong rectangle, the display virtual keyboard advertisement component 111may select the virtual spacebar 302 for displaying advertisement 304.However, if the advertisement 306 is a square, the display virtualkeyboard advertisement component 111 for example, may select virtualkey(s) that approximate a square. Additionally and or alternatively, auser and or the display virtual keyboard advertisement component 111 mayspecify a preference for displaying advertisements (e.g., advertisement306) on certain virtual keys or not displaying advertisements on certainvirtual keys. For example, a user may specify that advertisements 306should never be displayed on virtual keys other than the virtualspacebar 302. Accordingly, the display virtual keyboard advertisementcomponent 111 will avoid displaying advertisements on those virtualkeys. In some embodiments, advertisements 306 may include multiplerepresentations (e.g., shapes, sizes, colors) so that the displayvirtual keyboard advertisement component 111 can more easily identifyvirtual keys capable of displaying the advertisement 306. In block 440,the display virtual keyboard advertisement component 111 displays aselected advertisement on or in combination with the selected virtualkeys. For example, the display virtual keyboard advertisement component111 may display the advertisement 306 over certain virtual keys or blend(e.g., alpha compositing techniques) the advertisement 306 with theimage data associated with the selected key(s). As another example, thedisplay virtual keyboard advertisement component 111 may display theadvertisement 306 over the virtual keys but texture the advertisement sothat the corresponding virtual keys appear as “bumps” under theadvertisement 306. In decision block 450, if the displayed advertisement(e.g., advertisement 306) has timed out then the display virtualkeyboard advertisement component 111 loops back to block 420 to selectanother advertisement, else the display virtual keyboard advertisementcomponent 111 continues at block 460. For example, advertisements 306may specify a “time out” duration (e.g., 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 5minutes) so that the advertisements 306 are periodically updated.Accordingly, while a user is typing a message and or making a gesturethe user may be presented with multiple advertisements. In decisionblock 460, if the virtual keyboard 308 has changed then the displayvirtual keyboard advertisement component 111 loops back to block 430 toselect virtual key(s) for the selected advertisement (e.g.,advertisement 306), else the display virtual keyboard advertisementcomponent 111 continues at decision block 470. For example, if the userhas shifted to another virtual keyboard with a different layout or adifferent set of virtual keys, the display virtual keyboardadvertisement component 111 will loop back to select key(s) fordisplaying the advertisement 306. In decision block 470, if the user hasinteracted with the displayed advertisement 306 (as opposed to theunderlying or associated key), then the display virtual keyboardadvertisement component 111 continues at block 480 to invoke a userinteraction component 112, else the display virtual keyboardadvertisement component 111 continues at decision block 490. In decisionblock 490, if the virtual keyboard 308 is closed, then processing of thedisplay virtual keyboard advertisement component 111 completes, else thedisplay virtual keyboard advertisement component 111 loops back todecision block 450 to determine whether the advertisement 306 has timedout.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram 500 illustrating an example of a userinteraction component 112 in some embodiments. In decision block 510, ifuser interaction is an activation of the advertisement, (e.g., 306) forexample, then the user interaction component 112 continues at block 520,else the user interaction component 112 continues at block 530. Forexample, the user interaction component 112 may be configured to detectcertain actions and or gestures (e.g., swipe to the right) as an“activation” of an advertisement 306 or an interest to view moreinformation associated with the advertisement 306, and or other featuresassociated with advertisement 306. In other embodiments, one or moreactions and or gestures (e.g., swipe to the left) are detected by theuser interaction component 112 as non-activation interaction such as aselection of the advertisement 306 but no present interest in followingthe advertisement 306. In block 520, the user is directed to a local andor remote media file, for example, or site or location associated withthe advertisement 308, such as a website, mobile application, video,audio recording, etc. For example, the user interaction component 112may display a video over the virtual keyboard or in place of anadvertisement 308 displayed with the virtual keyboard 308. As anotherexample, the user interaction component 112 may launch a browserdirecting the user to the advertiser's 120 website. Alternatively, theuser interaction component 112 may initiate a “buy now” command for anadvertised product or service, open a shopping cart, initiate a vote orsurvey response, open a full screen advertisement, and so on. In someexamples, the user interaction component 112 may prompt the user toselect an action to take with respect to the advertisement 308. In block530, the user interaction component 112 prompts the user for an action,such as saving the advertisement 308 for later use, forwarding theadvertisement to another user, “liking” or sharing the advertisement 308or advertiser 120 on a social networking site, etc. In block 540, theuser interaction component 112 performs an action selected by the userand or determined by the computing environment 100 and then ends. Invarious embodiments, other actions are taken in response to a userinteraction with an advertisement 308. For example, opening anadvertisement 308 in another window, activating an advertisement in awindow of a messaging screen, morphing the virtual keyboard 308 to avideo or image, claiming a product or prize, ordering or bidding on agood or service, entering a raffle or drawing, printing a coupon,“liking” a tv show, voting for a contestant (e.g., Dancing with theStars, America's Got Talent, X Factor), reporting ratings for televisionprograms, purchasing a product via a website, such as Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. and so on. In some cases, an advertisement 308 may bestatic such that a user interaction with the advertisement 306 isignored.

The embodiments disclosed herein can be used to display variousadvertisement types (e.g., logos, text, graphics, images, etc.) or otherinformation (e.g., information about operation of user computing device110, time, etc.). The advertisement 306 can have one or more inactiveareas and one or more active areas (e.g., a button, an activation icon,etc.). A user can contact the inactive area without activating theadvertisement 306 and can activate the advertisement 306 by contactingthe active area. The advertisements can be displayed continuously or atintervals (e.g., preset intervals, user defined intervals, intervalsdetermined based on user input, etc.). Virtual keyboard 308 can be usedto enter characters (e.g., numbers, letters, punctuation, etc.) via atouch screen, for example. Touch screens can display different types ofkeyboards (e.g., a standard keyboard layout, a customized keyboardlayout, etc.) such that a user can contact key images of the displayedkeyboard image. A user can touch-type on the displayed keys similar to aphysical keyboard.

In some embodiments the computing environment 100 collects data via thevirtual keyboard 308 and/or other user input. Displaying advertisements308 can be controlled based on type data. For example, computingdevice(s) 110 can cycle through numerous advertisements while a usercomposes a text message, an email, interact with a webpage, video or thelike. Additionally or alternatively, collected data can be used to moreaccurately target users with new advertisements based on one or moreusers' interaction history and can capture analytics across multipleplatforms and user computing device(s) 110.

The computing environment 100 in various embodiments, stores, forwards,or otherwise alters advertisements. In one embodiment, an advertisement306 is stored for later viewing and/or interaction. The advertisement306 can also be sent (e.g., forwarded) to another user computing device110 (e.g., another individual's smart phone). The advertisement 306 orassociated company can be “liked” on FACEBOOK® or otherwise associatedwith other websites (e.g., social website), programs, apps, etc.

Virtual keyboards and/or advertisements can be controlled, in someembodiments, based on program settings, operating system settings, orthe like. The user and or computing environment 100 can select a desiredlanguage (e.g., English, Spanish, French, Chinese, etc.) to be displayedby, for example, the virtual keyboard and/or advertisement. The virtualkeyboard can be integrated into or part of an operating system such thatits settings can be modified using the operating system settings. Theoperating system can select and/or deliver advertisements with culturalrelevancy, language relevancy, or the like. User data can also beenhanced by knowing languages used by the user. The user data can beassociated with the user's profile and analyzed with other data (e.g.,geographic location, demographic information, online activities, searchactivities, online shopping activities, etc.). The user data can beanalyzed based on the settings/profiles and can be used to determineappropriate advertising.

Profiles can also be used to deliver relevant advertisements via thevirtual keyboard. A profile can associate one user computing device(s)110 (e.g., a smartphone, Smart TV, a gaming system such as an Xbox,etc.) with a different user computing device(s) 110 such that either orboth user computing device(s) 110 can display an advertisement 306selected via either user computing device 110. In some embodiments, aprofile can associate login information or other user inputted data tothe user, or one or more user computing device(s) 110.

CONCLUSION

In general, the detailed description of embodiments of the describedtechnology is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technologyto the precise form disclosed above. While specific embodiments of, andexamples for, the technology are described above for illustrativepurposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scopeof the described technology, as those skilled in the relevant art willrecognize. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in agiven order, alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps,or employ systems having blocks, in a different order, and someprocesses or blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined,and/or modified. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented ina variety of different ways. Also, while processes or blocks are attimes shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks mayinstead be performed in parallel, or may be performed at differenttimes.

The teachings of the described technology provided herein can be appliedto other systems, not necessarily the system described herein. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/842,617, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING ON VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/748,718, filed on Jan. 3, 2013,entitled, “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING ON VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,”U.S. application Ser. No. 14/758,786, filed on Jun. 30, 2015, entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,” PCT App. No. PCT/US2014/010252,filed on Jan. 3, 2014, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,”U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/748,721, filed on Jan. 3,2013, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ADVERTISING,” U.S. applicationSer. No. 15/316,095, filed on Dec. 2, 2016, entitled “SYSTEMS,APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR USING VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” PCT App. No.PCT/US2015/034300, filed on Jun. 4, 2015, entitled “SYSTEMS, APPARATUSESAND METHODS FOR USING VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS,” and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/007,890, filed on Jun. 4, 2014, entitled “SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS OF USING VIRTUAL KEYBOARDS” are all incorporated by reference intheir entireties. The elements and acts of the various embodimentsdescribed herein, including incorporated by reference applications, canbe combined to provide further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the described technology in lightof the above Detailed Description. While the above description detailscertain embodiments of the technology and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, thedescribed technology can be practiced in many ways. The describedtechnology may vary considerably in its implementation details, whilestill being encompassed by the technology disclosed herein. As notedabove, particular terminology used when describing certain features oraspects of the described technology should not be taken to imply thatthe terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to anyspecific characteristics, features, or aspects of the technology withwhich that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in thefollowing claims should not be construed to limit the describedtechnology to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification,unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines suchterms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the described technologyencompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalentways of practicing or implementing the described technology.

To reduce the number of claims, certain aspects of the invention arepresented below in certain claim forms, but the applicant contemplatesthe various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Forexample, while only one aspect of the invention is recited as ameans-plus-function claim under 35 U.S.C. sec. 112, sixth paragraph,other aspects may likewise be embodied as a means-plus-function claim,or in other forms, such as being embodied in a computer-readable medium.(Any claims intended to be treated under 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6 will beginwith the words “means for”, but use of the term “for” in any othercontext is not intended to invoke treatment under 35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6.)Accordingly, the applicant reserves the right to pursue additionalclaims after filing this application to pursue such additional claimforms, in either this application or in a continuing application.

We claim:
 1. A computer-implemented method for displayingadvertisements, comprising: receiving one or more advertisements at adevice including a display screen; displaying a virtual keyboard on thedisplay screen; determining one or more virtual keys of the virtualkeyboard for associating with a specific advertisement of the one ormore advertisements; displaying a portion of the specific advertisementat a position proximate to the determined one or more virtual keys ofthe virtual keyboard; identifying one or more actions to associate withthe one or more virtual keys proximate to the one or moreadvertisements; associating the one or more actions with the one or morevirtual keys proximate to the one or more advertisements; detecting aselection of one or more of the virtual keys, wherein the selection isassociated with a selection type; and initiating the one or more actionsassociated with the selected one or more virtual keys proximate to theone or more advertisements, based on at least the selection type.
 2. Acomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a first selection typecauses an initiation of a first action and a second selection typecauses an initiation of a second action, wherein the first selectiontype is a gesture and the second selection type is a key press, whereinthe first action is associated with interacting with the one or moreadvertisements corresponding to the selected one or more virtual keys,and wherein the second action is associated with initiating display of arepresentation of a symbol, character, or alphanumeric value associatedwith the selected one or more virtual keys.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein a first action is initiated based on a firstgesture type and a second action is initiated based on a second gesturetype.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the firstand the second gestures are made proximate to the same advertisement. 5.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determination ofthe one or more virtual keys of the virtual keyboard is based on a shapeof the one or more virtual keys, a size of the advertisement, anadvertisement type, user data, or advertiser preference.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, displayingat the virtual keyboard a next advertisement of the one or moreadvertisements, based on receiving substantially similar gestures. 7.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboardis a 2D or pseudo 3D image projected on a surface.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying atargeted advertisement based on data aggregated from navigating one ormore online sources via the virtual keyboard.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method for displaying advertisements of claim 1,further comprising providing feedback in response to the detectedselection of the one or more of the virtual keys.
 10. Acomputer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, if executedby a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operationsfor displaying advertisements on a virtual keyboard, comprising:receiving an indication of a selection of one or more advertisementsdisplayed at a position proximate to one or more keys of a virtualkeyboard; in response to receiving the indication, identifyinginformation associated with the selected one or more advertisements,wherein the information is targeted at a user of the virtual keyboard;and sending the information for display at the virtual keyboard.
 11. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprisingrefining the information based on at least one other indication receivedvia the virtual keyboard.
 12. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 10, further comprising refining the information based on at leastone other indication received via a different virtual keyboard.
 13. Thecomputer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprisingrefining the information based on target data from an advertiser. 14.The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprisingrefining the information based on one or more user preferences, userhistory, or tracking data.
 15. The computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 10, further comprising receiving a next indication of a selectionof a next advertisement of the one or more advertisements, wherein theinformation is refined based on each indication to increase thelikelihood that the information sent for display at the virtual keyboardtargets the user.
 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10,further comprising sending for delivery to a first device informationbased on the selection of the one or more advertisements at a virtualkeyboard of a second device.
 17. A virtual keyboard advertisement devicefor displaying advertisements, comprising: a display; a virtual keyboardhaving a plurality of virtual keys; means for storing one or moreadvertisements and instructions; and a CPU to receive instructions forsending the one or more advertisements to a position of the displayproximate to at least one of the plurality of keys, wherein the CPU:initiates a first action based on a gesture-based selection of the atleast one of the plurality of keys proximate to the one or moreadvertisements, and initiates a second action based on anon-gesture-based selection of the at least one of the plurality of keysproximate to the one or more advertisements, wherein the first action isassociated with displaying the one or more advertisements, and whereinthe second action triggers the display of a symbol, character, oralphanumeric value corresponding to the at least one of the plurality ofvirtual keys.
 18. The virtual keyboard advertisement device of claim 17,wherein the first action causes a plurality of the one or moreadvertisements to appear to shuffle on the display.
 19. The virtualkeyboard advertisement device of claim 17, wherein the first actioncauses a new advertisement to appear on the display, wherein the newadvertisement is targeted to a user based on the gesture-based selectionof the one or more advertisements.
 20. The virtual keyboardadvertisement device of claim 17, further comprising displaying atargeted advertisement based on data aggregated from navigating one ormore online sources using the virtual keyboard.
 21. The virtual keyboardadvertisement device of claim 17, further comprising a projectioncomponent, wherein the projection component is configured to display thevirtual keyboard as a 2D or pseudo 3D image projected on a surface.